The Quest for Damara
by Merrianna
Summary: The Doctor along with Rose and Jack have arrived on the Planet Sarkios. Where a Festival of Fertility is going on but there's something sinster happening.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. It is the sole property of BBC.

Note: This is set after Boom Town and the Book Stealers of Dreams. This will become an Alternate Universe in the sequel.

The Quest for Damara

By Sherry Gagne

Chapter One

Planet Sarkios

Krista Hope was having a lovely holiday. The planet of Sarkios was beautiful, and she came at the right time: a Festival was going to be starting in a couple of days. Krista eyed her purchases for the following day. She fingered the material of the robe that all the locals seemed to be wearing. Her friend Shaune back home had said to go native whenever possible. Krista figured that her friend would know as the woman's job was anthropology. Krista laughed, a bubbly sound that lifted her own spirits considering her last break up.

"All right, Shaune, I'm going native." Krista commented out loud to herself. She quickly donned the white translucent robe over a yellow bikini bodysuit. In the mirror the garment flowed over her mocha colored skin producing a healthy glow. It seemed to accentuate not just her body but her face as well, softening the angles of her face and adding a gleam in her rich chocolate eyes.

She was most defiantly going out that night. Krista was certain that her luck finding someone to love was about to change.

* * *

The whine of the TARDIS rotor slowing filled the vaulted coral chamber. The time machine landed with a resounding thud that jolted her partner and his companions.

The tall blue eyed Time Lord grinned maniacally at his ship's easy landing. "Well, here we are."

"And where is here?" the young blonde woman asked. Her loose hair dangled, along with silver hooped earrings, invading the Doctor's space brushing against the console and into his face. She was simply dressed, in hip hugging jeans and a T-shirt with a wolf howling at the moon design, trying to catching the Doctor's eyes.

From his spot the third occupant, sporting black jeans and blue shirt covered by his World War Two greatcoat, smiled at the other two dancing but couldn't help butting in. "Oh, Rosie, half the fun is not knowing until we walk out the door."

The Doctor grinned shifting away from Rose's alluring, if overpowering, scent, leaning his hip against the console and folding his black leather clad arms. "Jack's right. Are you trying to spoil the fun?"

Rose rolled her eyes and thought, 'The Doctor most likely doesn't want to be laughed at if he gets it wrong.' She pranced over to where her red jacket hung over one of the TARDIS struts. Rose ran a loving hand over a coral pillar in a silent thanks. The Tardis gave a hum of appreciation. "Well let's go then."

Pushing away from the console the Doctor strode down the ramp. He held open the door gesturing the two out. Once they were all out he made sure that the blue police box was secured before looking about. "The year four billion, the Planet Sarkios, nearing the end of the soul matches."

"Soul matches. What's that?" asked Rose marveling at the alien scenery. The outer city was comprised of thousands of large trees with three to four intertwined in the middle creating housing and shops of sorts. The center of the metropolis had huge domed structures that looked like they were constructed of baked bricks. The bright yellow sun shone through the clouds which were a light grey, holding a promise of rain to come.

"Well Soul Matches are just what you would think: a soul bond. Plato called them soulmates, one being split into two. Nice enough chap, but a little stuffy. The Sarkion, about one thousand

years ago, found a way to match their people to those that were most compatible physically and mentally. It became all the rage across the galaxies." The Doctor lectured as he took Rose's hand and lead her down to the city limits.

Rose listened intently reaching back to take Jack's hand and pull him along, not wanting to lose anyone in the throng of people that was beginning to grow around them with each step. The Sarkion were interesting. They were tall six to seven feet tall, varying shades of colors from black, brown, grey, and everything in between, with the exception of purple. They had slightly elongated noses and mouths, pointed ears like a dogs but further down like a human, and a fine fur that covered their bodies; Rose assumed it covered the whole body.

"Hey Doc, is that garment almost sentient?" Jack asked observing the people's clothing around them as the material seemed to be moving on its own. The white filmy material,which was a solid back panel attached to two other panels at the shoulders to create the front down to the upper thighs,changed into serrated strips of cloth. The same also came from the shoulders only appearing solid when the person's arms were down at his sides. Either side was exposed if left untied. Many cinched in the waist with a belt or sash. The material appeared to caress over arms and legs, sometimes stopping other individuals; to those it happened to an intense look of joy moved over their faces.

The Doctor looked back at his American companion and gave a shake of his head. He noticed that the ex-time agent was eyeing the inhabitants and tourists in his normal manner. "Not quite. It's manufactured, not sentient, though the chemicals in the material are reacting to the pheromones and mental impulses of individuals, making them appear to be sentient."

"Why is it so crowded?" Rose inquired. She pressed herself closer to the Doctor as they moved with the crowd, too distracted by being bustled about to listen properly to what the Doctor was saying, missing the meaning.

The Doctor slowed more from the amount people rather than being tired or the comfort of his companions. "I believe we arrived at the festival for the Goddess Damara." He stated loud enough for both Rose and Jack to hear.

Rounding the next corner, in which had a large circular common area stood a beautiful female statue surrounded by food, flowers and other types of offerings in a large circular common area. "Yep. The Festival of Damara."

"And what kind of Goddess was she?" Rose asked staring up at the statue of a half naked woman whose belly was round with child, with another that was feeding from one exposed breast. Rose had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what the answer would be.

"The Goddess of fertility of course;" this was in stereo as both the Doctor and Jack responded at the same time. Jack's laughter was contagious and made Rose giggle, and even the Doctor emitted an amused snort over their combined response.

As the crowd surged again the three moved forward. The Doctor led them out into the shopping section of the city. Though shops seemed to be doing a brisk business, it was less crowded than where they had first entered. Rose continued to hold both of her companions' hands, still not sure that she wouldn't lose one or both of them in the crowd.

The shops were interesting: there seemed to be storefronts, but most had booths out on the walkway. Trinkets, baubles and food were aplenty. They kept moving until something caught the Doctor's eyes.

Seeing the stall he stopped at, Rose gave a resigned sigh and thought, 'Of course the Doctor would find a parts shop.' Rose would have sighed again when Jack seemed just as interested with all the gadgets; instead she stuck her tongue between her teeth and just smiled knowingly. 'Men and their toys,' she thought. She looked around, half wanting to move on and half just enjoying being with her friends.

Friends: that's what they were, but on occasion Rose thought she'd wouldn't mind changing that. Well, not with Jack; he was just too fly-by-night, but the Doctor he was intense, charismatic and lonely. Not the best reasons of course, but she felt like he needed her. It wasn't about being physical either, well, not only about being physical, but Rose didn't even know it that was a possibility. If it wasn't possible, it really didn't matter; she loved the Doctor. Rose shook her head and spotted something, which she couldn't quite make, out at a stall across from where they were standing.

The two men were so engrossed in what they were doing that they barely heard Rose or noticed that neither had ahold of her anymore. "I'll be right back, yeah."

The blonde woman wormed her way over to the stall that had gotten her interest. The booth was filled with all types of jewelry: rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, armbands and all sorts of things that Rose didn't know the names of. There were three things that stood out to her. The one which originally caught her attention was a pair of long flashy earrings that she just knew her mum would love. Now that Rose was there a few different pieces also made an impression. One was a wristband that could have been worn by either a male or a female, and really it just screamed Captain Jack Harkness to her. The other was in a velvet type box which held three rings: one was large, definitely meant for a man the other two were smaller, seeming more for a female. It was the engraved markings that really grabbed her attention. She had seen similar marks before but only in one place: on the TARDIS, around the console room and in the library. Rose had no idea what the markings said, for the TARDIS didn't translate the Doctor's native language.

"Hello, my dear. What interests you?" A six foot Sarkion stood on the other side of the stall. His fur had a faint blue tinge to it that appeared to be fading and eyes a warm coffee brown. Rose liked that he appeared to be friendly and wasn't try to push items on her.

"I know what I'm interested in, but I'm unsure about the prices." Rose flushed, wishing she had asked the Doctor what the currency was before leaving him and Jack.

The Shopkeeper's smile was still in place as he gestured to a sign, as if not for the first time he'd been asked that question. "It's quite simple. For the Festival of Damara all shops are doing trade instead of currency."

"Oh." Rose said suddenly aware of how little she had on her. She closed her eyes and thought about what she precisely did have, fingering the beaded bracelet that she wore and the two rings on her right ring and pinky fingers. There was also the locket that she gotten from her mum that last time she'd been home but that had been a very late gift from her father, a man she'd only met once - she couldn't see herself parting with it.

The Sarkion vendor could see the human female pondering her options. "Miss why don't you show me what you were looking at, and we can see what kind of deal we can make."

Rose gave the man a considering look then nodded. She pointed to the three items that had interested her. She let the shopkeeper handle them, not wanting to get in any trouble. She could just imagine the look on the Doctor's handsome face if she inadvertently cause a commotion: pained and stating quite clearly stupid ape.

"You have varying tastes."

Rose smiled and shook her head. "They're not for me."

The shopkeeper brighten, "You are the first I've ever heard that from."

"Really? I mean I do shop for myself but not as often as some would think." She looked back at where the Doctor and Jack still stood sifting through parts.

"Ah mates can be like that. I should know. Deria does the same." The Sarkion chuckled.

Rose blushed and thought to dissuade the alien keeper but decided it was too much of a bother. "So, um, what..."

He chuckled once again, "So what do you think you could part with for these items."

The blonde quickly reached for her dangling earrings, carefully slipping them off, then looked down at her rings and bracelet and removed them as well. Hesitating only slightly Rose open her hand showing the shopkeeper. "How about these?"

The man took them as if they were the crown jewels and inspected them quite thoroughly. "These seem to be just the right price for trading."

"Are you sure?" Rose seemed a little taken aback by the shopkeeper's instant agreement. They had been manufactured back in the 21st century and were really just trinkets that didn't have any worth. Then again she was in the future where the Earth was just a recreation to watch from a distance; no was allowed down to the planet itself. It was more than likely that any jewelry or any other type of things would be considered heirlooms - or didn't even exist.

The Sarkion man flashed a brilliant toothy smile. "Quite sure."

He packaged her purchases and handed them over. His smile was still in place as he watched the young woman walk away but didn't watch to see if she'd made to her mates. In his mind it was an unusual occurrence to have two, and, seeing as she was spoken for, he had not warned her of females disappearing in the last year.

Rose left the vendor happy in her trade. The crowd seemed to have become larger since she'd been at the jewelry shop, and she hoped that the guys were still at the parts stall. In a little desperation she called out as the force of the crowd pushed her in the opposite direction. "Doctor! Jack!"

Rose knew it was useless; she was too far away, and she barely manage not to be trampled, being smaller than most of the people in the street. Rose heaved a relieved breath when she finally was in an area that nobody was occupying. Standing between two large tree roots that comprised the shops, she realized that she stood in what would be called an alley way back home.

During that time, Rose hadn't noticed that she'd been followed from the shop into the same alleyway. The large figure approached. A light and whirring was all the indication Rose had before her world disappeared into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC

Chapter Two

The Doctor stored the parts he had just traded for into his jacket pocket of 'infinite space'. The first thing he noticed was that Rose was nowhere in sight. "Jack, Where's Rose?"

Jack's normal smile slipped as he too became aware of the blonde woman's absence. "Ah."

"Great, she's wander off again. Why is it such a difficult concept for you apes to not wander." It wasn't a question, more of a statement that was often utter by the Time Lord. His love for his human companions made it worrisome when they weren't where they were supposed to be, and in this incarnation he was even more protective than in his previous eight. Rose in particular was a 'jeopardy-friendly' sort, constantly getting into messes that he had to save her from.

Jack sighed knowing that the fun he'd planned to have that night was going out the proverbial window. He loved Rose dearly but for once he wished she had just stuck with them. It had been her idea to go someplace quiet for a holiday of sorts. The Doctor had taken a lot of convincing; he wasn't the type to take well to 'domestic' getaways. Jack also hadn't been that thrilled with the idea, more of the action type himself with just a side of romance just to keep things interesting, but if he was going to do a holiday- well, what the hell, who was he kidding? This was going to be much more interesting. "I vaguely remember her saying she would be right back."

The Doctor gave Jack a look that plainly said that the information wasn't at all helpful. "Jack, you still have that watch of yours?"

"Yeah." The Captain said, lifting his sleeve to reveal 51st century tech; he looked surprised at the Doctor. The Time Lord didn't usually ask to use gadgets to find out what was going on. He was more the hands on type for mysteries, like Sherlock Holmes. Jack supposed it was just a sign of how worried the ancient alien was about Rose.

Taking out his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor took Jack's arm, gripping it in such a way as to keep it steady as he adjusted the device. "There now you'll be able to zero in on Rose's mobile without it having to be on. Let's go."

The former time-agent looked down and saw to some relief that he was picking up a signal that wasn't very far away from where he and the Doctor stood. "She's this way."

Even though the signal was close it took them at least fifteen minutes when it should've taken one. Both rushed into the deserted alleyway. "This is where the signal is coming from."

The Doctor quickly inspected the area. squatting down. He spotted both Rose's mobile and her wallet that she'd stuck in her back pocket that morning. He picked them up with increasing unease. Bringing the items up to his nose, he carefully sniffed. The scents he smelt were Rose's own unique smell of laundered clothes, lavender body wash, and a spiciness that was Rose Tyler, but over that was an alien Sarkion.

Jack bent over retrieving the nearby bag of Rose's things; he imaged they were things that Rose had wander off for. "This is not good."

"No, it's not, Jack. The reason I changed your watch was that it had a better chance of finding Rose. There are too many people here to get a proper fix on one human being, even from the 21st century." The Doctor glanced back at the crowded shopping area, turning his gaze back to Jack. His blue eyes had turned to ice.

The Doctor's face had a grim set that Jack figured should have terrified him, but it actually gave him hope that this would only be an inconvenience, and they would have Rose back in no time at all. "I guess it's back to old fashioned detective work."

"Yep. Let's get back to where we had been. I'll take one side of the shops, you, the other, and meet back here in about two hours." They both stood. Jack put the small bag into his great coat pocket and ventured back out into the mass of humanoids.

* * *

Rose slowly came around in a dimly lit room. She blinked rapidly, trying to get her bearings. She became instantly aware that something had been jammed into her mouth and, as she made to get up, that she was strapped down by her arms and legs. The words 'freaked out' took on a whole new meaning when the room became flooded with bright light. Rose could see that she was in a laboratory or surgical room. All she had on was a white filmy garment that seemed to move on it's own, though her necklace was still in place.

"Test subject number thirty-one is now awake and we can commence onto the next stage of the experiment." The sound of whirring filled the confined space. Rose tried to scream but all that came out was muffled moans and whimpers. A sharp pain went through her arm and the area around her abdomen. The situation was made all the more surreal as the robe caressed her body like a lover.

The room became quiet except for Rose's gasps and moans. As her body became sensitive, her mind drifted, while overhead erotic images were displayed. Rose couldn't grasp what these people wanted and soon she wasn't able to think: only feel.

* * *

Jack was back at the spot where they'd found Rose's stuff, waiting for the Doctor to get there. There came the rustle of noise and Jack pulled out his trusty gun.

"Put that down."

"Sorry, Doc, old habits and all." Jack grinned with little feeling.

The Doctor shook his head letting the matter go, knowing that ,though he didn't like guns, it didn't mean that on occasion they could be a necessary evil for beings to defend themselves. "Did you find out anything."

"Yeah. Not about Rose but there have been single women going missing for the past year." Jack produced a small electronic device and pushed the button to activate it. A tinny voice came from it and a hologram of a least thirty women. "_If you see these women contact the Sarkion Security Force..." _Jack turned it off before it could finish it's recording. "So what did you find?"

Leaning back against the large tree root, the Doctor nodded. "The shop right across from where we had been. The owner remembered her rather well. He had thought her highly amusing especially for having two mates. Unfortunately he didn't see where she'd gone."

"Well, she is rather short compared to these people. It would have been hard to keep track of someone with so many bodies in this crowd."

"Bloody hell, why didn't she just stay with us." The Doctor spouted releasing some of his frustration on some of the debri in the alleyway. He closed his eyes a moment, regaining control of his emotions. "Okay, so single women have been going missing. Rose, who hadn't been wearing one of those white robes, was assumed to be mated."

"Which should have let her be exempt from whatever is going on," stated Jack, trying his best to help the Doctor to understand what was going on.

"Yes, but she's taken anyway. Which means that whoever took her knew that she wasn't claimed." The Doctor frowned over that, quickly banishing the reason that made his hearts beat fast and a cold dread creep across his mind. "So, that means whoever has her has the ability, natural or electronic, to know whether or not women are attached."

The Doctor looked up and gave Jack a wide closed-mouth smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Looks like we're headed further into the city."

* * *

An aged Sarkion gazed into the surgical room which held the test subject 31. The Head of the project "Damara Lupya" smiled thinly. All his hard work would now be fruitful. He chuckled inwardly over his own inadvertent joke.

Unbidden his mind wandered. Tristo had been so happy the day he'd found his soul match, but after 15 cycles there was more frustration and despair than happiness. The physicians at the clinic still knew next to nothing about resolving his mate's miscarriages and unplanned aborted fetuses. Other species that also followed the same credo of soul matches didn't seem to have any problems procreating. It was only the Sarkion that appeared to have a decrease in population. Being the head of the experimental surgery was for once going to give him the means to conduct his own research and find a way to cure his people and his mate.

Tristo's fine aged-cream fur bristled and his short-muzzled mouth pulled back in a growl of discontent. That had been the plan fifty years ago but now he was old and with death only a breath away. Tristo's bleary eyes returned to the woman who he desperately needed in order to find a cure: not for his mate who lay in the mausoleum at the old temple but for his people.

"Sir, the test results are in." A large thin grey Sarkion said as he hand the results over. The man looked down at the woman strapped on the bed. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a test subject, but it still felt wrong.

"Good, this is very good, Ceyrdon. She's proceeding right on schedule." The older man's satisfaction seemed to appease Ceyrdon's guilt briefly. It was only briefly before the young Sarkion questioned his superior, "Sir, is it really necessary to have live test subjects? Could we not put these tests through the computer? It would be so much faster."

"Oh, Ceyrdeon, those results tended to be inaccurate. The computers never are able to take into account mutation or the slight chemical changes. No, this way is best." Tristo flicked his eyes over the readings again. "I think we should proceed to the next phase. By tomorrow subject 31 will be ready for the final phase." Both looked to the opposite wall where a glass case was imbedded. Inside it held several vials the words _Bad Wolf_ were clearly visible.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC

Chapter Three

From a distance the city appeared to be huge, but on closer inspection it was just a hub for the main government buildings and services. Taking different areas, the Doctor and Jack split up to cover more ground to begin their inquiries.

Jack found his way to the local Security Force offices. His inquiries there met the stumbling block of Inspector Mertyn, the Sarkion in charge of the Missing Single Women case.

"Inspector Mertyn, its just that your information would help a great deal in my investigation." Jack was glad the Doctor had let him borrow some psychic paper or he wouldn't have gotten that far.

"Well, Captain. I'm sorry but that information is for this office only. If you can get the proper papers then of course I would be more than willing to assist." The polished teal colored Sarkion inspector shrugged in a "what are going to do, rules are rules" manner.

Fortunately Jack hadn't pushed his luck by hitting on the guy. It was obvious from the Inspector's walls the officer was bonded to a pretty humanoid Jack couldn't identify. "Yeah, I'll do that. Thank you for a least listening."

"Just as soon as you have those papers," Inspector Mertyn called to Jack's retreating back.

Jack walked out the Security Offices; he was pissed off muttering under his breath, "Damn stupid planet with its rules and idiotic soul matches." He continued his diatribe in his head. 'If I was in any other time I would've gotten at least a look at the folder but no.' Huffing out a frustrated sigh Jack continued to the next place. "I hope the Doc's having better luck."

* * *

Rose whimpered as she woke; her body ached, her mouth was raw from the lack of moisture, and she couldn't think beyond that.

There was movement, and the device was removed from Rose's mouth and liquid poured down her throat. She began to gag and tried to gasp for breath. The liquid sprayed back out, covering her face and down her chest.

Rose heard angry words from two different directions then her head was held still as only a trickle of the liquid touch her parched lips, tongue, throat and finally her empty stomach. It wasn't water for it was thicker and sweeter.

The drink was taken away and Rose was able to breath normally. Fearfully she felt the hands placing the straps back, meaning the device would inserted into her mouth once more. "No. Please. Doctor. Ja..." Her pleading fall on deaf ears as the instrument was clapped down to prevent her from spitting it out. Tears welled up in Rose's brown eyes spilling over and running down her cheeks, leaving trails of mascara and clearing the solidifying fluid. Someone returned, wiping her face with a rough material, taking most of the mess off. The rest remained where it had landed.

As Rose lay there the images above started again. She closed her eyes not wanting to watch but it was as if they were directly feeding them into her head. Her body shudder, muscles spasmed and her skin tingle just like when it all started; but, unlike before, her insides were beginning to get warm and it was pulsing in time to her heart.

* * *

The Doctor wasn't having much luck until he entered the third building. The sign read: **Sarkios Medical Clinic: From Conception to Birth**.

The Doctor strode in with an amiable smile on his face. The young Sarkion behind the desk was pretty with light pink fur, wide dark sapphire eyes and six a foot frame. She also didn't wear the typical robe he'd seen all day.

The receptionist looked at the Doctor bemused; normally only females came in or matched couples, not individual men.

"Afternoon, Reyn." The Doctor said having taken a quick look at the young Sarkion female's name tag.

Reyn smiled trying to shake away thoughts of the human man's handsomeness, "Good afternoon, Sir. What can the clinic help you with today?"

"Oh, well, today I'm, ah, looking for my mate." The Doctor surmised it was actually true, Rose was his friend, but he knew that these people wouldn't have the same meaning, as British slang wasn't used here. "I imagine she's not in your waiting room but maybe you might have seen her pass by. She's about so high," He gave a gesture with his hand up to his chest, "with light hair and pretty human face."

Reyn was puzzled for a moment at the quickness of the man's question then description. "Um... Sorry I haven't seen anyone like that. Did you see the Security Force about her being missing."

"Well, it's only been since the market area some three hours ago. Was just hoping that she'd wander off. Something of a pasttime for her, wandering off." The Doctor gave a nonchalant shrug as he observed the odd behave of the females that were in the waiting area. They were all very protective of their pregnant forms. He also caught the tensing of Reyn when he'd spoke of the market area. His instincts were kicking in: she knew more about what was going on. Before he could ask any more questions, an older seven foot tall, brown furred, male Sarkion came out of the back and over to where he stood with Reyn.

"Sir, I'm afraid that I will have to ask you to leave as you are upsetting our clients. That is unless you have legitimate business with us."

The Doctor could see that the new arrival was making Reyn uneasy. He would just have to find another way of talking to her later. He smiled once again nodding, "It's all right. I'll leave. Don't want to upset anyone. Ta, Reyn."

The Doctor looked back once as he left. His mind was going through several possibilities. he decided he would finish his inquiries and meet up with Jack. By then he was sure he'd have more to go on and then they'd waylay Reyn when she left for the day.

* * *

Reyn watched the human leave and flinched as her manager came closer and whispered in her ear. "Reyn, remember you are here as a kindness. For what you did you should have been left on the outside of the city." He stepped back and left.

Reyn stood shaken; the reminder had been unnecessary. As she looked after the retreating back of the alien man she hoped he would return. Reyn kept herself busy with taking care of the clients and other tasks at her desk to dissuade thoughts of finding the human and getting into more trouble.

* * *

The Doctor spotted Jack immediately standing against an adobe wall of what looked like a parliament type building. "Hey, Doctor, what took you so long?"

The Doctor shook his head at the ex-time agent's haphazard way of doing things. In the back of his mind he wondered if he should go back over the other half of the city. No, it would take too much time; he would have to rely on Jack doing a good job. "Well, I actually spoke to people and you more than likely just ogled them."

"Oh, Doc, now I'm hurt." Jack teased but turned serious since without Rose it didn't feel quite right. "I found the Security Force office but unfortunately they weren't forthcoming with information, even with me flashing the psychic paper. I made sure not to mention Rose though. I didn't think that was a good idea."

The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. "No, it wouldn't be a good idea. We don't want it getting around that someone is looking on such a large scale. The few people that I talked to probably won't even be mentioning it to their families."

Looking around, the Doctor's gaze returned to Jack, "Did you notice anything unusual since we got here?"

Jack crossed his arms leaning further back into the wall. Closing blue eyes, he ran through his memory since he'd arrived. It was the Festival of Damara which was for fertility but he hadn't seen any children. He straightened abruptly, looking at the Doctor with a stunned and horrified expression. "Children. There's no children."

The Doctor nodded, relieved that for such a pretty boy Jack still had the brains to figure things out. "Yeah, it makes you wonder. There's a specific clinic for conception and birth but no others. It's the only specialized building that I've seen."

"Are you thinking that they're kidnapping women to experiment on?" Asked Jack, not liking where this whole situation was going.

The Doctor said nothing for a long time making Jack think that the Time Lord hadn't heard until he said, "Jack, I not sure but I think there's someone who might be able to help."

"Help is always good. Especially if they're attractive." Jack smirked, dimples showing at the Doctor's look of disapproval.

"Just don't over do it, Jack. We want the Sarkion's help, not to be picked up for harassment by the Security Force." The Doctor scowled as he walked away.

Jack followed unsure where they were headed. "So?"

"So, what?" The Doctor looked at his companion puzzled.

"Is that where we're headed now?" asked Jack anguished to find Rose.

The Doctor sighed, "No. We'll need to get hold of Reyn after end of the day. Figured we need to eat. Might not get the chance afterward."

Jack, though disappointed, couldn't argue with the Doctor's reasoning. He felt fidgety waiting, but, really, a quick meal would at least pass the time.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC

Chapter Four

Tristo walked the hallways of the Medical Clinic. It was just after closing for the day and the only people around where those in his section of the building. He had looked over some of the charts of the patients who had volunteered for special treatment. The result were still poor.

He finally reached his destination. Opening the door that he thought of as the destiny of his people, Tristo went inside. Through the glass observatory he could see the young human woman still strapped to the table. It was once again an interval between phases.

Tristo had accelerated the process instead of taking weeks to let the subjects acclimate to the drugs. He had finally come the conclusion that keeping the system continuously stimulated, flooding it with the right amount of stimulants and natural but refined fertility compounds, and enhancing the chemical component in the soul matching robe would produce the required results, especially with a pure human subject. He could then manipulate the process, going back down the evolutionary line to the modern day Sarkios.

The female subject was already on schedule and all the reports were positive. There was an increase in all her hormones, brain activity, and ovulation. By the morning she would be primed to undergo the final stage of the process. He would then extract what they needed to complete the experiment. Tristo was positive that all his hard work would be well founded.

The older Sarkion clapped a hand on his senior assistant's back, "Creydon, any new information."

"It's all the way you said it would be. Subject thirty-one has been the best of the lot." Creydon enthused, his eyes bright with excitement. He had forgotten all of his misgivings about using live test subjects. "She has only displayed a small amount of physical distress from the last dose."

"Well, that's to be expected. Just keep a careful eye on her. Administer the last three doses tonight completing phase two of the program. By tomorrow morning she will be ready for phase three." Tristo's muzzled mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. "I'm going to rest in the lounge. If anything happens have someone come and wake me."

"Of course, sir, comfortable dreaming to you." Creydon smiled at the retreating form of his mentor.

* * *

Reyn locked the front door of the clinic and walked toward the housing section of the city. It was surprising that she hadn't noticed the sound of her followers until they'd pulled her into the old temple courtyard.

She reacted by stamping her foot down on one individual's instep hard. A male voice in her ear uttered a word that she had never heard was lyrical and didn't seem right for what was happening. She was shoved forward away from the man.

"She got you good, Doctor," another male voice came from the shadows.

"Shut it, Jack." That voice: she knew it. It was the man from earlier that day.

Reyn turned, looking at her captors. "What do you want?"

"Well, first let me introduce myself. Captain Jack Harkness at your service." Jack gave a little bow.

"Stop it." The Doctor scowled. "Now's not the time for flirting, Jack."

Jack gave the Doctor a hurt look. "Doctor, I'm just getting acquainted."

"Get acquainted later after we have Rose back."

Reyn watched the two and had a brief thought about escaping while they argued. The banter soon stopped however and the moment was lost. "You should really go to the Security Force if you're still searching for your mate."

"Mate?" Jack asked smiling, dimples appearing. "Doc, did you forget to tell me something?"

The Doctor closed his eyes, reigning in the desire to do the Captain harm. Really he didn't like violence ,but the 51st century man seemed to bring that response out way too often-though it usually coincided with Rose being involved. "Jack let's just stay with the program, all right?"

Jack sighed, backing down. It was just no fun teasing the Doctor when Rose wasn't around. The Time Lord got testy when Rose was in trouble.

"Now, Reyn, I believe you know that going to the Security Force is just a waste of time. You have information but are afraid. Am I right?"

Reyn's brilliant blue eyes widened with wonder and fear. She back up a step, part of her wanting to get away but another more aggressive needing to stay-to help. "If I did know more?"

"I can see in you, Reyn. You're not a coward. Your fear has helped you survive but is surviving all you want? You are a strong female and you have the power in yourself to change everything around you." The Doctor smiled. "But you have to help others first."

Reyn's body quivered; she was tired of being alone, scared and useless. Her people were in trouble but they continued to turn a blind eye to the real cause, leaving men with agendas to try and find a cure. "In the clinic there's a high security section. I use to work there as a technician. The head physician is Tristo. He has been trying unsuccessfully to find a cure for my people's low birth rate and inability to produce no more than one offspring for the last fifty years. There were always rumors that he'd first experimented on his soul match. I didn't take too much heed to the clinic gossip but eleven months ago strange things started happening. The research section had always been heavily guard but everyone who had access could go anywhere. Suddenly large sections were blocked and pass codes were only given to those directly under Tristo. Everything was very hushed. Some of my colleagues thought that he'd made a breakthrough using imported plants and didn't want inexperienced people touching the newest project."

The Doctor listen intently, taking in every word and nuance of Reyn's voice. "Imported plants-what kind?"

"I don't know. I wasn't on the project." Reyn's fur bristled but smoothed down after a moment; she still had feelings of indignity at not being chosen. "My crime was noticing too much and putting the pieces together. I had vaguely seen them bringing in a person on a stretcher. There aren't any patients in the research section. I brought it to the attention of my supervisor. The next day I was delegate to the front desk where we meet. I would have gone to the Security Force but I have no one. Sarkion with no family have very little rights and, if thought to be a troublemaker, they get exiled out of the city."

"Ow... That's harsh," Jack said in sympathy.

"Yes, I suppose it is, but there are still many outlying villages that cling to the old ways of hunting and _mating_ like animals. It's thought by many that it's a death sentence." The inflection on the word _mating_was not lost on either man.

The Doctor did not want to go down the Sarkion's problematic social customs, though he was sure that Jack would be interested. "Is there a way in that won't alert the guards?"

Reyn nodded slowly, "There's the old tree section which was a part of the original building. No one uses it anymore, and it has access to both sections of the clinic. But it's locked and I don't have a key."

The Doctor gave Reyn a wild smile. "Oh, I have that handled." He said holding out a cylindrical rod with a blue light at the tip.

Jack chuckled that the Doctor's normal demeanor was back; he could feel the adrenalin start to pump in anticipation of the action that was to come.

* * *

It felt like days had passed to Rose; she couldn't tell the span of time since she woken in hell. Rose kept her eyes closed, trying to rest. She was so tired. She couldn't sleep; however, her body was too hot and sensitive. Her muscles wouldn't relax. Rose could feel different things, she couldn't tell what they were made of, against and inside her skin. She dreaded what these aliens still had in store for her: it was probably more of that overly sweet liquid which they had forced her to drink several times already. The taste changed slightly each time: from minty, orange, banana, of all things, to cinnamon. Each one kept her body burning, triggering sexual reactions she didn't, want with many pairs of eyes watching and monitoring. It was worse than when Jimmy Stone tried snogging her where their friends could see. They had at least been people she knew.

The only consolation was that they hadn't injected her again. The areas were still painful but not the same as the rest of her body; it was a bruising kind of pain that also went deeper. Rose was sure that she never felt anything like it before.

Rose opened golden brown eyes. She couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't there. She wished they'd remove the gag from her mouth. The thing made it difficult to breath. Anger began to well up in Rose's mind. These dimwitted bastards didn't know she was Jackie Tyler's daughter and she wouldn't put up with them doing anything more to her. Biting down on the mechanized gag, Rose began to push and the pull on her right hand, squeezing it as small as she could, trying to to force it through the metal restraint. A seizing pain shot through her body in response, but she ignored it. As blood started to drip down her hand, Rose could feel that she almost had it out.

The blonde woman could hear the sound of running feet. It echoed a tattoo in her head. In desperation she tugged harder. Rose had just gotten her right hand free when large hands grabbed her arm, fighting to restrain her once more.

The male Sarkion's flesh on hers made Rose cry out in agony. Her stomach revolted, her skin quivered in disgust, and her body jerked away. The effort to get away drained out of her, and she collapsed from a overload to her nervous system. The researcher once again restrained her, clamping down her wrist but tightening it so there would be no movement left. They did the same to her other hand and both of her ankles.

Rose was dimly aware that most of the Sarkions had left; then came the moment that she had hoped wouldn't happen. The mouth gag was removed and more of the nasty liquid was poured down her. The taste assaulted her overly sensitive tongue with the sickly sweet taste of coconut. Her stomach continued to rebel against the men touching her; the concoction came back up once again. There were angry voices then her head was being strapped down and another metal gag was back in place, but it wasn't the same as before: tubing was being forced down her throat.

Now Rose could only stare up as the ceiling returned to the images projected on it. That had also changed. Now, instead of random humans or aliens in different sexual acts, it was as if images were being directly taken from her mind. There were her exes: Jimmy Stone and Mickey Smith-and that horrible forced burning was back but stronger than before. Eventually there was only so much Rose's human body could take and a true darkness started to take hold of the Doctor's blonde companion. Rose couldn't escape; her muffled keen sent an uneasy shiver down the backs of her captors.

* * *

The alleyway behind the adobe buildings was darker as there was no illumination from street lamps or the double full moons that were hidden behind the canopy of trees. The three rescuers made quick time to the abandoned section of the Medical clinic.

"Here's the entrance," Reyn said in a hushed voice.

The Doctor skirted around the rebellious Sarkion woman, taking out his sonic screwdriver. The device's blue tip illuminated the immediate area. "Thank you, Reyn. You don't have to go any further. They'll never have to know that you helped us."

"Yes, Doctor, I know, but I've always wanted to make a difference to help my people. In helping you, I believe I will." Reyn's fur bristled with excitement and her muzzle curved into a grin.

"You, Reyn, are one of a kind." said Jack who barely resisted grabbing the Sarkion woman into a hug.

"For once, Jack, is correct. You, Reyn, are Fantastic," enthused the Doctor as he sonic'd the door open.

Reyn was surprised at how easy the Doctor made getting past the security locks on the Medical Clinic. The Sarkion woman shook her head, feeling like she should've known that this alien was much more than she could comprehend.

The Doctor took a tentative step into the dimly lit hallway. When no one came charging around a corner he gestured for Jack and Reyn to follow. "Since we still have you, Reyn, which way would be the best? Not really wanting to blunder about."

Reyn closed her eyes trying to remember the layout of the research area of the clinic. "From here we take a right. There will be stairs and next to it is a lift. This is the first floor: there are computer and chemical labs. The second floor is the same, and the third is where live testing takes place."

As a group, they made their way further into the clinic. There were scraping, banging, moaning and whimpering noises coming from down the hall. "Does anyone work at night?" inquired Jack in a whisper.

"No," came Reyn's quiet, hesitant answer.

The Doctor ignored his companions as he listened intently. He moved purposefully toward the sounds, not waiting to see if the two would follow. The smells down the corridor were strong with chemicals. There were six doors on either side; all but two had clearly marked opac windows. The others looked to have been the same at some point but now where blacked out with a type of paint. There also appeared to have not only the passcode entry but deadbolts. These two rooms were right at the back where the Doctor, Jack, and Reyn had entered. In the Doctor's mind the doors were out of place. "They weren't like this before, I imagine?"

Reyn couldn't manage to speak, just shaking her head.

"Jack, check the rest of the rooms," The Doctor instructed as he started to sonic the locks on the first door. The noises that had been heard down the hall had all but ceased: the banging and scraping had stopped but the moans and whimpers only dimmed down. To his relief, they weren't deadlock sealed. The deadbolt was the first to open; the passcode lock took a little longer, but it also gave under the sonic screwdriver.

Jack came back puffing a little having finished checking the other rooms. "There's nobody down here except us, and all those rooms are just chemical labs. There weren't any computers to be found."

"Right. I had a feeling things would have been moved about after reassigning Reyn," The Doctor stated looking at his companions. "Well, ready?"

Reyn's look was more apprehensive but determined, and she unconsciously clutched onto Jack's arm.

"Let's do it, Doc." Jack was eager to find Rose.

As the door was pushed open, the sight that greeted them had Reyn turning away and stumbling a few feet to be sick. Jack for once couldn't stomach the view that had been revealed; he went to make sure that Reyn was alright. The Doctor stood stone-faced, unwilling to turned away, once again coming to face evil's victims.

Inside were nine females all in varying stages of pregnancies. They were dirty, starving, and their pregnant bodies were malformed. Some they could see the baby clearly through the flesh; others, their bellies were so much larger than their forms they were unable to stand; and a couple were only just starting to show, but it was if the babies were only grew on one side.

"We are going to stop him." The Doctor intoned in a low voice that had no infection. The Oncoming Storm was released.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC

Warning: Violence, Sexual content, non-consensual

Chapter Five

A couple of hours later, Rose finally came awake, blinking open crusted eyelashes to reveal bloodshot eyes. She stared up at the blank ceiling. Her mind was fuzzy, but she realized that even after she had lost consciousness the images had continued to play in her mind. Even now they had settled on one individual. Her body shivered in desire and mortification. Rose wanted to be angry that they had been able to use her own fantasy to help in their sick designs.

Her body seemed to buzz and tingle with the sweeping of the stupid garment as it slithered and insinuated itself along Rose's skin. The sexual stimulation was now a steady throb through her nerves. Rose felt filthy with the dried mixture covering her top half added to the constant sweat and other bodily fluids. She was exhausted, but that didn't seem to matter to these people.

Rose suddenly heard a loud whirring sound that seemed to be coming from everywhere. The table she had been laying on began to move, forcing her legs apart and bent. Terror once more made Rose struggle though she had very little room in which to do so. She had lost some feeling in her hands and feet from when she'd tried to escape. From her new position another smooth mechanical sound faintly rose. The fabric was moved away from her breasts and the junction of her thighs. She could feel cold metal or plastic brush against her skin and, with just the same impersonal care, two devices were placed on each nipple, and below another was pushed into Rose's over stimulated sex. Tears that she'd only succumbed to once before flowed freely, blinding her.

To Rose's added horror the gag tubing that was resting on her tongue and the back of her throat began to vibrate as it was turned on, and they began to pump more of the vile liquid. When it reached her stomach the reaction was almost instantaneous: sensations she been experiencing since they'd started were now amped up and the images in her mind intensified; added to it all were the bastard's newest toys. Rose, in the back of her mind, cried out, 'Doctor, find me!'

* * *

The women stood just watching the strange man that had opened their prison, unsure what the researchers were up to. Their tormentors only came in when one of them died or was about to give birth, and none were ever seen again.

The Doctor stayed where he was, knowing that any sudden moves on his part would scare the females. "We're going to get you out. I just need some information. Have you seen a blonde haired girl, brown eyes and human?"

A mostly human woman with a misshapen abdomen bravely approached. "No. I was the last to be put in here."

Another woman with slight Sarkion features spoke up in a raspy voice, "why should we trust you? This could be another experiment."

The Doctor held his hands up palms out, "No, no, no. I'm not with them. I'm here to set you free and to find my friend Rose."

"I'm Krista," the first woman said. "I'm really sorry, but if your friend is here she'll more than likely be on the third floor. That's where the testing and surgeries are done."

"Surgeries? What type?" Jack's voice sounded harsh as he rejoined the Doctor. The ex-time agent suspected what was likely happening to Rose: the evidence was standing in front of them. He took a calming breath as he attempted to keep his emotions out and concentrate on rescuing his friend. At that moment his normal jovial and flirtatious nature was taking a back seat.

The women shifted with fright, some huddling together, others being barriers to those that had difficulty moving, at the appearance of another male. Their whimpers and growls of disgust reverberated in the confined room. The Doctor could see that at least half were reverting back to their more basic animal tendencies.

"Aw, Jack, why don't go get the other door open." The Doctor wasn't always the most sensitive of aliens, but he found that the situation seemed to call for a different approach. The Doctor handed Jack his sonic screwdriver. He patted him on the shoulder to take the sting out of his words and offer some comfort.

Reyn then reappeared looking only slightly worse for wear. "I'll help him, Doctor. You seem to be dealing well here."

The Doctor gave the Sarkion woman a nod as she followed Jack to the second door in the hall. The Time Lord wasn't entirely sure about that but continued giving off an air confidence and calm.

The women restlessly stared at the Doctor, waiting. To their surprise he didn't enter after several more minutes. Krista came forward once more and answered the pretty man's question, "I was taken a week ago. The procedure lasted about three days for me. The time has been shorten for every _subject. _Mine so far has been the shortest. All the medicinal concoctions and injections culminated in removing of eggs and impregnating those that remain." She gesture towards herself. "This was the result. _Very unsatisfactory." _Krista's voice became a low growl over that which she'd taken exception to.

The Doctor's expression didn't change, not wanting to frighten the women anymore, though he couldn't stop clenching his hands into fists at the thought of Rose being subjected to the atrocities the woman Krista had just described. Knowing that the rendition was condensed didn't help his rising anger. He would need the whole process the Sarkios researchers were using, but he wouldn't force the woman to recount them. He would find out on his own. "Do you think you and the more mobile women are able to assist those that are more advanced in their pregnancies?"

Krista nodded. All the women there would take any chance to flee Sarkions researcher's grip even if it meant crawling out. The alternative was the unknown and that was far more terrifying than their supposed rescuers.

Jack returned; his face showed a control that the Doctor wouldn't really have a credited to the ex-con man. "How many more?"

Jack noticed that the Doctor hadn't moved from the spot he'd been in when Jack left to unlock the other makeshift cell. "Nine. Rose wasn't with them," Jack managed to spit out in disgust.

"That would makes eighteen out of a supposed thirty... well thirty-one," The Doctor said as he moved away from the door. He didn't expect that Rose would be in the other room. He hadn't felt her, at least not there. His attention turned down the hall. Reyn was already getting together the other victims; it was time to move again. They had been lucky so far that security hadn't been alerted.

"Reyn, will you be able to get these women to safety?" The Time Lord was going to trust that the Sarkion woman would be able to handle the situation that he and Jack had pulled her into.

Reyn blue eyes widen both in amazement and relief. Having come this far she didn't want to leave the alien men. They had given her such confidence that she was surprised by the need to be away from the facility. "Yes. I know a place to hide them until things can be sorted."

"Good. I knew I could count on you, Reyn." The Doctor's words were upbeat but did not echo in his blue eyes. For a moment they lighted on her, "If I or Jack don't make an appearance by the dawn go to your Security Force and tell all you know."

Reyn's brow furrowed with concern as the group steadily made their way down the corridor towards where she and her companions had entered. "Would they really believe me: a female with no family?"

"It's up to you to make them believe you." The Doctor gave the young Sarkion woman an encouraging pat on the arm.

"But, Doctor, what happens if you don't come back?" She was hesitant about having to confront the authorities by herself, the adrenaline that had been pushing her forward and following the amazing men not of Sarkios seemed to be waning.

"Come on, Doc." Jack prodded the Doctor at the entrance of the stairwell. He gave Reyn a jaunty salute before proceeding on up to the next floor and their continued search for Rose.

"Don't worry about us," The Doctor said as they separated at the first floor stairs. Disappearing up the steps, he suddenly reappeared, giving Reyn a wide enthusiastic smile, "And, Reyn, you are fantastic." He quickly turned back and ran to catch up with his friend.

Reyn's pink furred muzzle spread into a delighted grin as she went back to help the escaping women. That brief voiced belief in her repaired the doubts that had been growing their departure was causing.

"He certainly is a strange one."

* * *

As they reached the second floor, Jack and the Doctor still hadn't run into any security. The Doctor wasn't overly impressed by the lack but wouldn't complain either.

Jack noticed but didn't think too much about it; he was more impatient to find Rose than wonder about absent guards. His mind also fleetingly went over the women that they'd set free. Jack wanted to be optimistic about the whole thing, reciting that the kidnappers had only had Rose for a full day so they couldn't have gotten very far in experimenting on the blonde girl, but a dark niggling suspicion kept popping up and making his stomach twist in knots.

The second floor corridor held fewer doors than the first floor. Each one of these also had labels on them in Sarkion script. All were solid wood with the exception of the one at the end of the hall. "We should get a look in each one just in case they left more women up here."

Opening the first door lock with the sonic screwdriver, Jack and the Doctor found a large room with rows of mainframe housings, nothing that they could hook up to give them any info. "They're most likely running all the data through them for simulations and possibly to verify results of their testing." The Doctor tried to sound dispassionate, but his voice dropping an octave gave away the emotions that wouldn't come out any other way.

"I think we need to move on."

They went quickly through all the doors before reaching the end of the hallway. The last door the TARDIS translated the script to said The Head of Research Tristo.

"Well I think we found the perfect spot for gathering information on what type of methods this Tristo character is doing."

With a little help from the sonic screwdriver the lock gave away easily. The Doctor went to work on the Sarkion's computer while Jack rifled through the researcher's papers.

"There's a bunch of statistics: ratios of eggs produced, estrogen levels, and some charts on genetic alterations," Jack muttered not really knowing anything about medical stuff; his expertise was more mechanical, not everyone could be like the Doctor.

The Doctor listened with half an ear already reading through several different programs that held all the numbers and projections for a muti-level serum and procedure. Opening another folder, the Doctor quickly scanned the list of imported plants that were harmless: Vitex, Tribulus, False Unicorn Root, Alfalfa, and then others that weren't as benign: Cannabis sativa, Hyoscyamus, Artemisia, Solanacea, Agavaceae, Cinnamomum zeylanicu and Liriosma ovata; they were more of a poison to most species with human being at the top. The last file held even more alarming information on DNA splitting of both the plants and the subjects.

Finding a information disc, the Doctor passed the sonic screwdriver over it before transferring all of the experiments that had been run for the past sixty years. Retrieving the disc from the computer, the Doctor handed it over to Jack. "Keep that safe."

Jack took it, giving the Doctor a wary look, "Not that I don't find your trust in me refreshing, but why are you giving me this?"

The Doctor turned his gaze away from the younger man. The Doctor's body was tense and his expression was once again devoid of any emotion. "Jack, at this moment I'm not really sure what I might do. At one time this wouldn't have been so difficult. I would already know how I would deal with those individuals involved, but..."

The door crashed open, revealing four seven foot Sarkion guards armed with large electric batons. The air sizzled with the power emanating off the weapons. The Doctor held up his hands, knowing that all they needed to do was wait for the boss to arrive. With what was going on The Doctor was positive that they didn't want to involve the local constabulary.

"This day is just getting better and better," Jack sighed as he raised his arms, putting his hands behind his head.

The Doctor couldn't agree more; he was starting to feel a bit ridiculous being held by aliens with what were essentially souped up cattle prods.

"What are you doing in here? Who are you? No one but Sarkion researchers are allowed in this section of the building." A burly cream colored security guard asked.

"Well, you'll not be getting those answers. We'll only talk to the top dog as it were." The Doctor knew he just insulted them, but he was beyond caring about niceties. The wankers had taken Rose and were doing things that had been banned for several millennia; he was feeling particularly rude at the moment.

The cream colored Sarkion nodded to one of his compatriots who backed out, supposedly to get said individual. The remaining three stood there at the ready in the off chance that the two intrudes did try to escape.

"Oi, do you think we could put your hands down. This position leaves something to be desired." The Doctor gave their captors an annoyed look.

After a few seconds the same guard grunted. "Go ahead."

"So what's the plan?" Jack whispered, though he assumed he already knew what the answer would be.

The Doctor gave Jack an incredulous look that plainly said '_you didn't just ask that_'.

Jack closed his eyes, giving a shake of his head. Of course the Doctor didn't have a plan; it was all spur of the moment with him.

* * *

Tristo, with Creydon following behind, walked between the guards into his office. He observed the two men that stood leisurely waiting.

"I must say that I find this quite unexpected. Sarkios has never had to deal with medical espionage before. Our research isn't one that is very actively sought after," the old Sarkion mused as he observed the aliens with clinical detachment.

"Yeah, well we're not here for your supposed medical advancements," The Doctor shot back in a clipped voice.

"And who are you, and why have you trespassed on private property?" Creydon asked in frightened curiosity. He could feel those earlier misgivings coming back but stood stalwartly behind his mentor.

The Doctor's gaze never wavered from the Sarkion in front of him; he knew from the pictures on the wall that the man was who he really wanted. "I'm The Doctor."

"Jack Harkness." Jack tried not to laugh at the puzzled expression on the wolf-like features of their reluctant hosts.

"And we're here to retrieve our friend Rose Tyler who was taken off of a busy market street early yesterday morning. We've traced her here to this _lovely facility_," The Doctor's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"If you're missing a companion then shouldn't you go to the Security Force to report it? Why break into a medical research building?" Tristo said almost gleefully.

"Don't. Don't go there. All of us here know exactly what's going on here. It's not simply some plant research to help your planet's decline in fertility. You're splitting plant and humanoid DNA, which by itself is acceptable. The exception is that you are doing it on live subjects, which has been outlawed not only by your own government but also the Shadow Proclamation." At first the Doctor was calm, but as the words came out anger erupted from him, and he shouted the last out.

Tristo gave up all pretense. "You won't be able to stop me, Doctor. Subject thirty-one is the only chance for a cure. She has surpassed all that I have hoped for."

"What you are doing is not only morally wrong but dangerous. Most of those plants are deadly if given in the wrong amount."

"Oh, Doctor, we will see." Tristo's eyes gleamed unnaturally, his aged muzzle twitched. "Yes, you will see. Bring them up to the observation room." He turned and left, confident that the guards would do as he said.

Creydon hurried after the old researcher. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Don't worry," Tristo said.

* * *

As they entered the observation room, the Doctor surveyed everything. His gaze was quickly riveted on the image of Rose beyond the glass. She was obscenely displayed for the researcher's supposed benefit of science. It made the Doctor's temper rise further, and it soon would reach the critical point where, timelines be damned, he would do the unimaginable.

Jack's low comment, "bastards," sounded more like a growl.

The scene provoked Jack to attack, and the Doctor immediately went to reach Rose. The guards that had lead them in zapped them with a jolt from there electric wand. The brief flow of electricity stopped the duo's attempt to interfere.

The Doctor and Jack, though weak, still struggled against the guards that blocked them. "Stop it! Tristo, you don't know what you're doing. That stuff would kill most species but especially humans!"

"Yes, Doctor, you're quite right. I have learned that the hard way. But that was only because I hadn't perfected the process to change the subjects' chemistry and make minor alterations of their DNA enough." The researcher's smugness infuriated the Doctor in a way that had at one time been reserved only for Cybermen and Daleks.

"Now, Doctor, after reading my notes and the projections, you should know that with subject thirty-one we shortened the time to not even twenty-four hours. The last phase will start now with the injection of the main serum _The Bad Wolf_." As the Doctor and Jack watched in enraged disbelief, the mad Sarkion researcher pushed the button. The mechanical arms descended, hovering above Rose. The syringes aligned with precision over the area on Rose's body directly where the ovaries were; the two needles pierced flesh, sinking deep into Rose's abdomen. Her muffled cries of pain could be heard as _The Bad Wolf_ mixture was injected. Tristo had a gleeful smirk on his muzzle.

The Doctor finally erupted with a well jabbed elbow, and a head butt knocked out his two guards. He was on Tristo before any of the remaining Sarkions could move.

Jack had followed suit, having a bit more difficulty with his guards; in the end they also lay unconscious. As he turned Jack saw a scene that he'd been hoping wouldn't unfold: The Doctor's expression was murderous; the Sarkion Tristo lay across the control panel struggling to breath as the Time Lord's leather clad arm cut off the alien's air flow.

Creydon was huddled away from the violence his hands over his head to deflect any attention away from himself.

"It always the same with you playing at being gods." The Doctor's northern accent was thick with menace. He sensed Jack before the Time Lord felt the man's hand giving him a slight shake.

"Doctor, Rose needs us. Besides, no matter what, she wouldn't want you to do anything " Jack resisted glaring down at the aged researcher, as his own temper was also tenuous at the moment.

The Sarkion gave a gasp as the Doctor released him. He slid down the console to the floor, clutching at his throat and chest.

"Jack, take the sonic and free Rose." He didn't look at the former con-man. It was taking all his Time Lord control to not finish what he'd started on Rose's tormentor.

The blue-eyed companion sighed, taking the Doctor's sonic screwdriver once more; with a hesitant glance he followed the ancient alien's demand. Jack knew the Doctor would need a few moments to get himself back under control. The trip to Sarkios had gone like most; it was just worse in that Rose wasn't only in danger but she'd been sexual violated, which was a first. In Jack's book, it would be the last; he was sure the Doctor was thinking the same.

Jack hurried into the surgical chamber straight to where Rose was crudely laid out. Holding out the sonic screwdriver, he made to unlock the metal clasp of the tables restraints. "Hey, Rosie, I'll have you out of there in less time than it takes the Doctor to eat a banana."

Surprised relief flooded Rose at the sound of Jack's voice, though to her ears he sounded abnormally loud in the cavernous room. She would have laughed at Jack's commentary, at least it helped confirm that he wasn't just a hallucination. Rose vaguely wondered where the Doctor was, but at the moment she just wanted to get out. She would be embarrassed later at Jack having seen her so exposed. She hoped that the flashing provocative images would stop before she saw the Doctor.

As Jack took Rose's hand to give comfort and keep it from getting in the way, Rose cried out in anguish as her body wrenched violently away from him. The Sarkion garment aggressively twisted out of reach in a flurry of movement. The blonde woman shuddered with the effects of the chemicals that were coursing through her system.

Rose barely managed not to vomit from the Jack's touch. With the mechanical feeding gag still in her mouth it took sheer force of will to not choke as her body spasmed.

"Doctor! We have a problem." Jack shouted back into the observation room.

The Doctor came running into the room seeing Rose's body convulse. He took the sonic out of Jack's hand and began running the diagnostic making sure it wasn't the setting that had caused Rose to wraith in pain. "What happened?"

"I touched her hand and this." Jack voice was distressed with worry over the young woman who'd helped him find a different life path.

"Bloody idiots." The Doctor hesitated to get closer to Rose as not only had the researchers attempted their plant and DNA tampering but used the soul matching garment which had its own chemical and mental components. Add it all together, the only being that would be able to touch Rose would be someone mentally and physically compatible with her. It was certainly obvious that Jack wasn't the one. The Doctor contemplated going back to the TARDIS to return to Earth to get Rickey the Idiot.

"Um, Doc, I think the white cloth likes you." Jack's voice was edged with relieved delight.

To the Time Lord's astonishment the garment was reaching out, barely touching him with feather light strokes. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. He was a Time Lord; she was human. While for the most part their biologies were similar, there were enough physical differences to make things difficult. The Doctor pushed such thoughts aside to concentrate on rescuing Rose.

The fact that the idiotic material was trying to force an issue that should never have been at least made it easier so that he didn't have to find Rose's supposed life mate. Again he blocked out the jealousy over the pretty boys that fawned over his blonde companion and the glee that the garment seemed to react favorably to himself.

The Doctor sized up the situation in a second; they needed to remove the restrains, get the gag and tubing out, then detach all the leads and other devices which the Sarkion researchers had attached to or inserted in Rose.

"Jack, get that idiot to remove these," The Doctor said, waving a callused hand towards the apparatuses which were intimately attached to Rose. He moved toward the top of the table, ignoring the way that the transparent garment continued to follow and flutter around him, to where Rose's head rested.

The Doctor examined the straps of the mouth appliance. He placed a hand on Rose's forehead, blocked out the thoughts that she unconsciously was projecting, and looked into her brown drug-hazed eyes. "Rose, I'm going to take out the gag and tubing. You're going to need to relax." Rose blinked, showing that she understood.

The Doctor with his other hand released the fasteners and carefully slipped his fingertips in between the plastic and Rose's lips. He felt something warm and wet against his skin as he withdrew the medical equipment. The Doctor felt Rose's distress immediately: both physically and mentally. He stopped, focusing his attention back on the blonde woman's wide frightened eyes. "Rose, I need you to listen to my voice. Just concentrate on that." She blinked again, showing she understood.

"Remember, all you have to do is relax. That's it, relax." The Doctor continued to praise and encouraged his companion, his almost hypnotic voice helped Rose to stay calm as he removed the long tubing from her. Finally the last bit of plastic ejected out of Rose's abused and bruised mouth.

Rose's lips were dry, cracked and bleeding. The Doctor pushed all his negative emotions back behind a door in his mind. "Rose?"

Rose tried to smile but grimaced instead as the mistreated facial muscles ached from lack of use.  
There was a whirring sound that made Rose jolt as the scientist's '_toys_' fell and pulled away from her body. She whimpered in a pleasured pain, unable to stifle the urges that still coursed through her body.

The Doctor turned, glaring in the direction of the control room. "Oi, Jack, a little warning."

"Sorry, Doc, I didn't know it would to that. This guy's a bit twitchy and the metal restraints are malfunctioning. At least that's what this guy says." Jack shouted out, irritated.

"Never mind that, Jack. I'll handle it. Just stow them somewhere so nobody follows when we leave," The Doctor ordered as he took his sonic screwdriver back out, switching it to the proper setting to unlock Rose's shackles. Starting at her feet, the Doctor notice discoloration of both her feet and hands. The right one had drying blood. He make out lacerations that hadn't been treated. His jaw clenched as he furiously tamped down on the raging storm of destructive ideas that ran through his brain.

Rose's eyes followed the Doctor's movements, intermittent visions flooded her mind with flashes of her and the Doctor tangled together, distracting her from the present. As the last of the bonds fell away, all she wanted to do was curl up on the Doctor's lap, though she was confused as to what she wanted him to do while in his embrace.

"All set in here, Doc." Jack's voice carried over from where he stood at the doorway.

Rose involuntarily flinched away from her friend. The Doctor's soothing cool hand stroked over her painfully hot face. She moaned in disappointment when he withdraw it. Suddenly, Rose felt weightless as the Doctor pick her up bridal style; she burrowed into the Time Lord finally feeling safe. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers caressing over exposed flesh. Rose knew what her body wanted to do and she'd gone through various scenarios, but knew that she didn't want to damage her relationship with the Doctor so she made an effort to control her hyped up libdo.

As the trio walked through the door, the Doctor gave the Sarkion a brief glance. His control on his more dark emotions was thin and while holding Rose he didn't want to project anything that could potentially harm the young human.

The Sarkions were jammed together in a corner of the room, tied together with various cords that Jack had made use of from the machine in the room. The head researcher looked up and smirked, "You'll be back. The only way to release the right endorphins is pregnancy or a full union with her Soul Match. If either one doesn't happen in the next twelve hours, her body with burn up. Her heart will burst and her brain flatline."

The Doctor chose to ignore the obviously insane alien. He would find away to help Rose; they wouldn't be back.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Rating: M: Sexual content

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC

Chapter Six

Jack lead the way for the Doctor who was carrying a clinging Rose down the stairs of the research facility. The ex-time agent kept alert to make sure they weren't followed and that any wayward guards didn't impeded the trio's retreat from the building.

At the exit Jack held the door open for the Doctor and Rose. Rose whimpered as she came into close proximity with the Doctor. The tangle of filthy Soul Matching material swirled briefly then attached itself once more to the Doctor.

Going out the back way that Reyn had earlier showed them, Jack's hopes were dashed as the sky opened up. Fat droplets of rain splattered over the trio. He'd hoped that they'd be back at the TARDIS before the storm that had been threatening since they'd arrived erupted.

They went through the back alleys until they reached the center square that held the statue of Damara; from there it was less than several hundred feet until the group reached the TARDIS. The rain however made it slow going as the cobbled road became slippery, though it ended well before the time and space ship. The grassy ground on which the TARDIS sat was saturated making the area boggy, walking was hazardous as the soil seemed to suck Jack's and the Doctor's feet into the muck.

The only sounds at that time came from the rain and the obvious swears words that the Doctor used, though it was in a language that the TARDIS wouldn't translate. Jack had to figure that it was the Time Lord's native tongue.

The trip was made even more difficult on the Doctor as he carried Rose; the Sarkion garment wouldn't stop petting and rubbing everywhere it could reach. The idiotic thing kept tripping the usually surefooted Time Lord. After he landed several times on his knees, he'd had to put Rose over his shoulder in a fireman's lift in order to regain his footing. The change was uncomfortable for both: for Rose it put pressure on the bruises that the injections had left, for the Doctor it was a reminder that his blonde companion was naked under the very transparent cloth. Her mostly bare arse was directly in his line of vision which didn't help the situation.

Jack would have laughed if the circumstances weren't so dire. The Doctor could flirt with the best of them but that was all it would ever amount to. Now he had to deal with a very amorous cloth and a drug manipulated Rose. Because no matter how much the Doctor and Rose both ignored the sexual tension, it was there between them and anyone could see it.

It was a great relief when they finally made it to the TARDIS's blue double doors. The Doctor repositioned Rose into his arms to better shield her from the cold rain that was coming down heavier than when they first started back. It was the best he could do while waiting for Jack to open the TARDIS doors. "Come, on Jack." The Doctor said impatiently, blinking away water that had dripped into his blue eyes. The Doctor could feel Rose trembling, and he didn't relish having to deal with not only a sex-driven woman but a sick one as well; that would be going down the road into domestic which was just a little too much for his tastes.

Jack grimaced as his cold fingers were making turning the key harder than usual. When Jack finally was able to get the doors open, the Doctor brushed past the Captain, making sure that his shivering burden didn't come in contact with the young 51st century man; they had already learned that she couldn't stand to be near anyone who wasn't the Doctor.

The TARDIS's warm interior was lit in a blue green ambiance; from the time rotor a mournful hum echoed eerily in the cavernous depths. As the trio entered the lights flickered and brightened to give the occupants more illumination.

As the Doctor tried to take long strides up the ramp to get to the med bay, the bane of the whole trek back to the TARDIS insinuated between the alien's long legs impending such movement. One moment the Doctor was walking with purpose, the next he had to quickly maneuver his body so as to not land on the young woman in his arms. He and Rose went down hard in a un-graceful heap on the grated console room floor. The Doctor lay on his back with his blonde companion laying across his chest, arms still wrapped around her to prevent any further damage. Rose moaned in pain and desire, unaware that the locket that she'd still had on dislodged and fell with only the tiniest of metallic of sounds.

Jack bent to help them but immediately pulled back when Rose cringed away with a muffled cry of distress as she huddled into the prone Doctor. "Jack, if you really want to help, get to the med bay and get out the equipment that I'll need." The Doctor breathed as he had to regain the air that had been suddenly knocked out of his lungs.

"Right, Doc, I'm on it." The Captain hurried away towards the med bay room. His foot falls didn't sound like they had gone very far when a door opened; the Doctor concluded that the TARDIS had shifted rooms around to get the desired room closer.

The Doctor transferred Rose's slim frame onto the floor beside him. His ankle hurt. That last tumble must have been hard enough that he had twisted it on the way down. The Doctor chose to ignore the pain and got up. He squatted down and, without instruction, Rose sat up putting her arms back around his neck and burrowing back into him. The Doctor felt her place a kiss next to his ear but the sensation was so fleeting that he tried not to put a deeper meaning behind it. The brief glance he had taken of the researcher's formula that was currently running throughout Rose's body said that it didn't allow for emotions just plain physical desires. The Doctor forced his mind on what needed to be done and not on wishes and dreams.

On the long trip back to the TARDIS Rose hadn't said anything as her mouth and throat were still too sore for speaking, but it was taking everything she had to not push the Doctor down and rip his clothes off. Even the cold rain hadn't cooled the driving hunger for the Time Lord. It wasn't until they had landed on the console room floor that Rose got the idea that any thoughts that wandered into her head the clothing would imitate. She had kissed the Doctor's neck in quiet apology; it was something she had always wanted to do. In an attempt to help the Doctor, Rose consciously trained her thoughts on things not as sexual, which was very hard as her body was overly sensitive. The Sarkion robe calmed some allowing the Doctor to get them to the med bay without any further mishaps.

The med bay was a stark room of off-white. It had futuristic apparati for both researching and healing. The tall medical bed was the lone piece of furniture, resting in the middle of the room with headboard against the wall. The other side of the room had large wall cabinets with opaque windowed doors that held various medical equipment from all over time and space.

The Doctor turned away from Rose, "All right, Jack, I need you to find Reyn and finish dealing with the researchers."

"Ah, Doctor you sure you want to handle that yourself?" Jack couldn't help noticing that even though the Doctor had laid Rose on the bed, she had sprung up and attached herself on the Doctor's back; the frisky cloth going all out to try and entice the Time Lord to relieve its wearers needs. Once again Jack restrained himself from bursting out laughing at not only the sight but the expression on the ancient alien's face. The Doctor's face was warring between angry frustration and painful lust.

"Jack, what I said in the lab still stands. You're going to have to handle this, and I still need to find a cure for Rose." The Doctor knew from the look on Jack's face that he was enjoying his discomfort, but at the same time there was worry for Rose. "I need you to do one last thing though before you leave. The disc: I'll need the information downloaded in that terminal of there."

The Doctor began arranging the tools which the Captain took out; he was aware of Jack downloading the researcher's disc into the TARDIS. A whirring reverberated throughout the room as the disc ejected from the slot.

The Doctor nodded to the ex-time agent as the man finally made his way out of the med bay. As Jack strode out into the control room, towards the doors he spotted the object that he'd imagined hearing fall when they'd rushed into the TARDIS. He had been too preoccupied with Rose to take much notice at the time. Jack squatted down and picked up the goo-covered article. Swiping a thumb over the surface, warmth radiated from the metal and he thought he heard the faint sounds of a baby. He shook his head dispelling the notion as ridiculous. 'I'm going barmy as Rose would say.'

Jack shoved the necklace into his coat pocket; he'd get it cleaned then return it to Rose. He'd even fix the clasp, but at that moment he had a mission: one that the Doctor was trusting him to accomplish in his stead, much to Jack's amazement.

Right before going out the door Jack turned back to the time rotor. "Old Girl, you take good care of them while I'm gone." Jack felt a warm nudge as he left the TARDIS. He smiled, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The Doctor waited for Jack to leave before beginning to work on Rose's injures. He stroked a callus-roughened hand down her cheek, "Rose, I need you trust me. I want you to do something for me, all right?"

Rose gazed up at the Doctor with eyes that were dilated in a drug-induced sexual hunger, "I trust you Doctor. I do anything for you."

The Doctor closed his eyes at Rose's undisguised and complete faith in him. He really didn't know if he deserved such sentiment from a young woman he was suppose to be looking out for. Once again he hadn't been paying attention and his 'jeopardy friendly' companion had succumb to another planet's schemes.

Rose could feel her relationship with the Doctor was changing, but at that moment she didn't particularly care. She gently caressed an injured hand over the Time Lord's haggard face. His blue eyes opened and the look of anguish made Rose gasp further, wanting to sooth the Doctor's sadness and fears.

Seeing the compassion along with the blatant desire in Rose's eyes, the Doctor pushed back his conflicting emotions. He would find a cure for what had been done to his blonde companion. Placing his fingers along her temples the Doctor pushed a suggestion into Rose's mind. 'Sleep. Sleep without dreams. Peaceful sleep.'

Rose's eyes blinked once before they closed; her body went limp as she fell into a dreamless sleep. The Doctor noted her relaxed form also extended to the garment. That was a blessing, for he was now unobstructed in cleaning and repairing the damage that had been caused to his best friend.

The Doctor would have bathed his patient but they were on a deadline for him finding a cure. He took a few samples of Rose's saliva and blood. He set them to run as he went about the task of healing her injures. The Doctor took great care of her right wrist which was in worse shape than other areas. He used the dermal generator where he could. On her parched lips the Doctor gently smoothed a healing gel that wouldn't be harmful if ingested. For Rose's internal injuries the Doctor set up a deep healing mender which would get to the muscles and organs without intrusion and speed up Rose's natural healing process; instead of days, it would be only one day for the damage to be repaired.

While the mender did the work it was designed for, the Doctor went to the samples that had been running through the TARDIS systems. To his dismay they were still being processed. The Time Lord turned his attention to the Sarkion researcher's notes and reports. He would need to know the head researcher's process inside and out to have a better chance of refuting the Sarkion's claims. There had to be some other way than what the alien had presented him with.

* * *

Jack found Reyn's apartment. He passed several Sarkions who gave him strange looks as approach the young Sarkion woman's home. He knocked gently on the wood door.

There was shuffling sounds before Reyn's sweet voice came through the door. "Who is it?"

"Oh, just you're blue-eyed love king," Jack replied devilishly.

The door opened a peek then Jack was pulled in roughly by the lapels. Jack found himself in a large one room apartment with all the women he'd help rescue that night. It boggled his mind a little that it had only been that night and Rose had been missing just short of a full day. So much had happened it didn't really seem possible.

"That's quite the welcome." Jack smiled though it really didn't reach his eyes. All he wanted to do was finish and get back to the TARDIS to find out how Rose was.

Reyn wasn't well versed on alien expressions but she could tell a front when she saw one. "Captain Harkness, you were able to find your friend?"

Jack sighed and nodded his head, "Yeah, we found Rose. It's just that. . .well. . .you know." Jack had no desire to talk about what could possibly happen to Rose if the Doctor didn't find a cure. "The Doc is with her right now. I'm here to help with the Security Force and in particular Inspector Mertyn. From what I've observed, he would be the best bet on believing and not just sweeping the whole thing under the rug." Jack looked around the spacious room which was full with pregnant alien women. "I suggest that we get him to come here instead going to the SF office."

Reyn nodded conceding that the Captain was better equipped to handle the Security Force than she. The Sarkion woman was happy to hear that the two alien men were able to get their friend to safety as well. It paled though in comparison with the relief she felt that they hadn't forgotten about her and the other women from the facility. She of course would have gone to the SF but with very little information and just the women as proof of criminal activity she was sure that they would have been classified as a disgruntled employee and dissatisfied clients. "But won't it be your word against theirs. They could just say that it's another symptom of the Sarkion decrease in population." Krista said from the kitchen.

Jack look over to the person closest to human there; she was still very pretty even with the evidence of being at the first stages of pregnancy. For some reason she appeared to be further along since the last time he'd seen her.

Jack produced the disc that he and the Doctor had escaped with. "With this there is more than enough information to not only damage the facility but the Sarkion's who were involved and had let them proceed with the Sarkion and sentient alien experimentation. It also has the displacement of individuals who went against the project." Jack gave Reyn a genuine smile since they'd found that bit of info; the young Sarkion woman wouldn't have to follow her employers into whatever penal systems they had for the planet.

The 51st century man was overwhelmed with women wanting to express their gratitude which first started with Reyn. Jack had no problems with being on the receiving end of all that attention, but he knew that it hadn't just been him that they should thank. The former time agent knew that it the Doctor would been happy enough to not be around such adulation.

* * *

The Doctor sat examining a full spectrum of Rose's blood sample. The changes that had been made to her would have hardly any lingering harmful effects in the future for the human girl. At that moment her hormones levels geared towards reproductive. Arousal and increase brain activity were off the charts for a human even one for that time period, which Rose certainly wasn't.

The Doctor had been calculating all the factors: different plants or medicines known to him, which was a vast amount. Some could be directed to the right area, but when combining them they would cancel one or more which were also needed. It was driving the Doctor mad with each possibility being scrapped. The conclusion was not one that he wanted. In the end the Sarkion head researcher was right.

The Time Lord pushed back from the results of another test that had failed. In aggravation he ran callused hands over his short brown hair. Looking up and over to where Rose lay quietly in a Time Lord induced sleep, the Doctor rubbed at the bridge of his nose trying to relieve the tension headache that had been oncoming from the onset of his search.

The Doctor absolutely hated that Tristo was right. It wasn't just the combined plants, synthesized or not, but adding the Sarkion Soul Matching garment that threw every test. The cloth's own chemical makeup ensured that the wearer didn't remove it unless they'd found and bonded with their mate. The fact that it only respond to him made things easier and harder.

Time Lords hadn't gotten emotionally involved for over several thousands of years: not since genetics proved to be less messy and provided more time to devote to other endeavors. It wasn't that they weren't still capable; they had chosen to forgo such activities. The Doctor thought it had more to do with political reasons than anything. Somehow he didn't think the situation would be such an obstacle if the Time War hadn't happened. The thought of Gallifrey stirred up the emotions that he hadn't wanted to remember even if the silence in his mind was still a constant reminder. The human girl had done much in relieving the tremendous pain he carried for his part in the destruction of so many planets and the genocide of his people.

The Doctor may have been doing his best to follow the Time Lord rules, but really he wasn't one to hold to them for any length of time. Rose had done more for him than any other companion, though a few did come to mind that had come close to breaking down that barrier distancing himself from the pain of human frailty.

The Doctor could feel the time slipping away around Rose, and he knew that he didn't have any more time to ponder what he knew had to been done. The Time Lord went to the large cabinet. Taking out a small device, he put it in his pocket. The contraceptive was the only thing he had on hand that might work; it had been Jack's, though it was supposed to work for all types of alien species.

Sighing, the Doctor walked back over to Rose. She looked so young in sleep but he knew that the young woman had been through a lot even before he had taken her on that first great adventure to the end of the world. She had been naive about the universe and all it held but not the motives that seemed to drive all sentient beings. Humans may always be a bit self-absorbed but some like Rose had that ability to see further. Now as he gazed down at his fantastic blonde companion he began to see how very ill-treated she was: not only the bruises, cuts and scrapes, but the sweat, grime and dried fluids. The Doctor frowned; that certainly needed to be taken care of before anything else.

The Doctor lifted the resting Rose and carried her out of the med bay. He made for his room down a long winding route through sections that saw little use. At the end a door opened on its own; he gave the TARDIS a telepathic thanks of appreciation.

Striding into the darkened room the lights flickered on to reveal a stark bedroom devoid of any personal items; it contained just a large comfortable bed with sheets and duvet of varying shades of grey. The Doctor would've laid Rose on bed but the TARDIS had anticipated the need for the Doctor to lay the blonde woman down by moving a red brocade chaise lounge into his room. "What? Don't want Rose to dirty the sheets yet?" The Doctor demanded snidely of his beloved ship. The lights flickered and a bulb burst at her pilot's tone. "Oi, enough of that." The Doctor carefully arranged Rose on the new furniture.

The Doctor sat on the bed, elbows on bended knees, the emotions evident in his blue eyes running from desire to dread and resignation. His hearts constricted with guilt, the Time Lord's superior mind kept trying to come up with another solution, but none were permanent. They would still leave Rose in a constant state of arousal, and that was just not a possibility with Jack around. In the end those options still led to this inevitable outcome.

Rubbing his haggard face, the Doctor stood, taking off his battered leather jacket and flinging it on the only other chair in the room. He turned back, picked Rose up and made his way into the bathroom. Once again the TARDIS was one step ahead of the Doctor: the tub was filled with warm scented water with bubbles.

"Bubbles, really? Could you be more girly?" The Doctor asked exasperated, being sarcastic at his ship the only way to vent at the moment. A menacing hum reverberated through the room as if to say 'duh'.

The Doctor ignored his ship's implied threat. Sitting on the side of the tub, he carefully placed Rose in the circulating warm water which was constantly running, taking away the dirty water and generating more of the fragrant bubbles. It was all in an effort to preserve the young woman's dignity for at least a little bit longer.

Leaning over, he placed his fingertips on either side of Rose's head, touching her temples, and gently nudged her mind with his own to wake her up from the Time Lord induced sleep.

Rose's golden brown eyes fluttered open; she gave the Doctor a warm sleepy smile, having been able to finally get a peaceful rest. After a moment her expression changed as the researcher's concoction began to overtake her once again. "Doctor?" the worry and desire in Rose's voice tugged at the Doctor's hearts.

The Doctor tried to smile for the young woman but it didn't reach his blue eyes. "Rose, I am sorry. There isn't anything I can do." He swallowed back a lump in his throat at Rose's still trusting face, soothed his thumbs over her heated cheeks. "The Sarkion made anything I do. . .you still wouldn't be free of the symptoms. The only options are the two. . .he named. "

Rose licked her lips trying to process what the Doctor was saying through a haze of sexual hunger. She liked his long-fingered hands on her, and she briefly wondered why she was in a unfamiliar tub, but Rose could vaguely remember a white room, needles, shackles and pain. "Am I going to die?" It was a valid question and the first thing that came to mind: well not the only thing, but she was sure that the others wouldn't be appropriate. Rose was using great self-control at the moment as her body seemed to have a mind of its own, and the urge to pull the Doctor into the tub had a lot of appeal.

"No! No. You're not going to die. I would never let that happen." 'At least if I can help it.' The Doctor thought tightening his grasp on Rose's face. He had wanted Rose to make the choice but he could see that her mind was too immersed in carnal thoughts to really make such a decision. The Doctor could easily see the images now as Rose seemed to be unaware that she was projecting, and added to that was the damn robe, the wet tendrils slowly appeared out of the foamy bubbles seeking to stroke over any part of his body it could reach.

"Rose!" The Doctor snapped giving it one last effort to get Rose's actual conscious consent. The blonde woman looked up at him with clear eyes but he knew that it wouldn't last long. "The choice is pregnancy or sex." The Doctor could feel the tips of his ears turning red from the blunt question but there wasn't enough time to be subtle. The fact was she could die if neither of the two methods were done.

"Um, what?" Rose mewled, her eyes widening as thoughts whirled faster.

The Doctor suppressed a groan. He just realized that he hadn't let go of Rose's face, and he was inadvertently helping the young woman in sending her erotic images. Impatiently he shouted, "Sex or pregnancy?" Involuntary, he pushed to pick the thought out of Rose's mind as his work roughened hands tighten slightly.

Rose's moaned in pleasure as he made contact with her mind. The Doctor sighed in defeat. There wasn't going to be any choice. She was too far gone and he really couldn't see Rose wanting to have Mickey's or some random man's baby. The Doctor buried the anger that threatened to overwhelm him at the thought.

"Rose, I need you to wash up. I'll be back in a moment to help. Yeah."

Rose nodded, though she didn't let her gaze shift; she just stared after him not moving. The Doctor ran a hand over his face; he needed to gain some control or he would end up hurting his blonde companion. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor pulled out the contraceptive that he'd brought from the med bay. He contemplated it for a moment before he rolled up the sleeve of his jumper, pressing the tip into his arm. The momentary sting vanished instantly leaving the Doctor feeling strange, it had nothing to do with the drug but with the fact that he would soon be engaging in an activity his people had done away with for centuries.

The Doctor placed the device into his battered jacket pocket so as not to forget about returning it to the med bay. He walked back into the bathroom and stood staring at the sight of Rose standing on the tiled floor, a fluffy towel in hand. She had done as he'd asked: her hair was shampooed and little wet wavy curls dripped down her shoulders. The once dirty and stained robe was still transparent but clean. Rose, he could see, was having difficulty as the cloth moved but wouldn't come off.

"Here let me." The Doctor stepped further into the room. He took the towel out of Rose's hands. The Doctor rubbed it through her still wet hair then gently glided it down over her face, neck, and arms. A bout of nervousness had him going behind Rose, bringing the towel over her shoulders then upper and lower back. Once again he paused before sliding the soft material over her buttocks and down her legs. Staying behind her, the Doctor proceeded, his arms going around her as he traveled back up over feet, lower legs, thighs, the juncture of her legs, abdomen, stomach and finally her breasts. At the end Rose had arched into him and the Soul Match garment was nearly in a frenzy, slithering and tangling between them both.

"Doctor." Rose moaned in need, her hands went over his, silently encouraging him. The Doctor finally gave up the remainder of his misgivings, he let the towel fall as he caressed Rose's upturned breasts. His cool left hand immediately began teasing the nipple with tweaks and light flicks of his thumb nail at the raised flesh. All the while his right squeezed and gave a lingering brush of fingertips just over the nipple.

Rose gave an anguished cry of delight at the Doctor's play; she pushed back, needing the firmness to keep upright.

The Doctor's cooler breath wafted across her ear, "Do you like that, Rose?"

Rose trembled in reaction. Her hands slipped off the Doctor's as he continued his erotic amusement. Rose had no thoughts anymore as she succumbed to what her body wanted. She brought her hand up, stroking over the Doctor's ear before thrusting it into his short brown hair. Rose gave a strangled squeal as the Doctor took her ear between his teeth and tugged. Rose pushed back into him, needing more contact. Rose could feel the Doctor's firm muscled chest and all the way down to his very evident arousal that was now trapped between them. The rough material of the Doctor's jumper and jeans was erotic and frustrating at the same time. Rose wanted to feel flesh not cloth; she moaned low as the robe she wore slid through the opening her thighs made in an attempt get closer to the Doctor. It elongated to brush against her folds before moving on over the Time Lord's jean leg creating a connection to the two.

The Doctor let go of Rose's ear to further explore until the damn cloth got into the fray. The damned thing made it very tough to keep control over his own sexual urges, for he already had Rose's fevered thoughts still bombarding him. He wasn't going to ravage his companion like some animal. In a quick maneuver, the Doctor picked Rose up and strode back into his room and carefully deposited her into the middle of his bed. She gazed up at him with half lidded eyes gleaming with need.

The Doctor stifled a groan as Rose crawled over to the side of the bed; sensually she pulled herself up using him as a pole. When they were eye level she attacked his mouth, kissing and nipping at his bottom lip then running her tongue along the seam to gain entry. The Doctor opened allowing Rose entrance as his hands slide over the flesh that peeked out of the robe. Rose pushed the Doctor's green jumper up, sliding hungry fingers over cool flesh, stopping to explore first his stomach then ribs and finally the small peaked nipples where she played by trying to imitate the Doctor's earlier teasing.

With a growl the Doctor pulled away allowing Rose to breath, pulling the jumper off as it was now in the way. Rose's eyes traveled, taking in the sight of the Doctor's uncovered flesh. A wolfish smile spread across Rose's lips as she pulled the Doctor down for another open-mouthed kiss. She deliberately rubbed herself into the Doctor's chest thrusting her hips forward to feel his hard length.

"Rose," The Doctor breathed as he stifled a moan.

Rose growled low, "Please, Doctor. Please, I need to feel you. All of you."

At those words the Doctor pulled Rose back into a deep kiss as he undid the button and zipper of his jeans. He reluctantly backed away to finish removing his boots and socks. He stood still in just his jeans and underpants.

As Rose once again took in the sight of the Time Lord need pulsed through her veins. She skimmed her greedy hands down his muscled chest and abdomen, diving into the loosened jeans and in between flesh and pants, pushing the last articles way from what she most wanted to see.

Rose gasped at her first look at the Time Lord fully without clothing. For the most part he wasn't any difference from a human male, but the Doctor didn't have an obvious scrotum and the head of his penis was a bit larger than that of an earth male; also he was longer than Rose would have thought. Tentatively she ran light finger down his length. It moved as if reaching out to her and pulsated as Rose curved her fingers around him. The Doctor groaned, pulling Rose's hand away, gripping them in his as he attacked her mouth until he knew Rose needed air. Sweeping kisses down her neck, at the juncture of her neck and shoulder he bit and sucked the area, leaving a mark. He moved further south until the Doctor reached her right breast, blowing cool air over the turid bud before sucking and nipping it through the transparent cloth barrier then moving on to give the other the same attention.

Rose quivered with need. She spread her knees and pushed into the Doctor, feeling that hardened length between her thighs. She just wasn't tall enough and the angle didn't relieve the ache. Rose let out a frustrated growl.

The Doctor gave last nip at the budded nipple to stand to his full height. He looked down at Rose, taking in her body quivering from head to toe. "Rose, I need you to lay back."

Rose quickly followed the Doctor's orders instinctively knowing that the time had come. She scooted back onto the bed not even noticing that the robe she still wore also separated to reveal her body in invitation.

The sight made the Doctor's length harden further and twitch. He adjusted Rose's legs to make things comfortable and placed his forearms on the bed above her shoulders so as not to crush with his weight. The Doctor took her face between his callused hands again and looked into her golden brown eyes. "Rose, it may hurt."

"I don't care. I need you. All of you." Rose rained kisses all over his face, her hands caressing his shoulders up over his neck, ears and hair. The garment drifted over his back, stroking, wrapping the couple in a cocoon of intimate desire.

The Doctor's body adjusted and in one quick thrust he was in Rose. He could feel Rose's inner walls spasm in pain then relax as they began to accommodate his different dimensions. The Doctor nuzzled against her cheek in an effort to comfort as well ,petting her soft hair.

After few moments the Doctor started a slow rhythm. It didn't take long before Rose wrapped her legs around his waist matching the movement. They stayed that way for several minutes until Rose started panting and whimpering, her fingers grazed through his short hair. "Doctor. . .I. . .ah. . .more."

The Doctor thrust deeper into Rose and pulsated each time he was deep inside. Rose's clenched onto him and growled in approval, but still she clutched the sides of his face, which was warmer than normal; a tiny bead of sweat dripped down. Rose licked it away and rasped in the Doctor's ear, "More. . .need. . .more." Rose had no idea precisely what that more would be, but she knew that only when he gave in would she be able to feel the release she desperately needed.

The Doctor breached the last barrier until his member brushed against her cervix. At that moment he lost all control; his mind reached for Rose and the head of his penis expanded as he came repeatedly. Rose screamed her release as she felt not only her own climax but his in a never-ending cycle. It felt like hours until she finally blacked out.

The Doctor gasped out a breath as he came back completely into himself. That was not supposed to happen. He clutched on to Rose, rolling them both until she was on top. His member was still embedded into her warm soft body. The Doctor was very sure that it would be awhile before he would be able to remove himself. He could feel Rose was fine, though he was just a little freaked out that what he felt was in his head and she was not conscious. The Soul Match robe which had been so active was now inert.

It had been the most fantastic experience of the Doctor's life, but now as usual the complications would begin. He sighed and waited until he could escape, to think things through.

* * *

Jack strode back into the TARDIS, worn and a bit waterlogged but in good spirits. He was pleased with the outcome of the Security Forces takedown of the illegal activities of the research facility and the officials that had allowed such disregard for live to happen.

Jack had helped in leading Inspector Mertyn and his men into the facility to where he and the Doctor had left the researchers. They were still tied up. The Inspector authorized a search and seizure, and his force scoured the place, finding more evidence. They discovered where the women who had already given birth were. In the large room, the mothers were taking care of the multiply babies: all seemed to have some sort of deformity. That most were still alive was a surprise, but still a few had been found in a makeshift morgue, having been dissected along with the babies that also hadn't survived the birthing.

Jack was too disgusted to stick around afterwards. He was assured by Mertyn that all those involved would be set to the high level of Sarkion justice. Jack wasn't at all positive that it would be enough for the Doctor, but if it wasn't there was always the TARDIS.

The Captain looked around the console. He was disheartened when the people he wanted to see weren't there. He knew that the Doctor could work almost miracles for others, but it didn't always come back to those that traveled with him. Jack wanted to go and find the pair but it was obvious that things weren't working or one or both would have been out in the main room. With a certainty the Doctor would have been there to give him news on Rose.

With a sigh Jack strolled out and towards his room which the TARDIS had moved. Jack noticed that the med bay had either been moved back to its normal spot or the ship had hidden it so Jack wouldn't disturb the Doctor with questions and possibly upset Rose with his presents.

"Okay, Girl, if you don't want me finding them, I won't look." Jack addressed the sentient ship.

The TARDIS gave a mournful hum at the Captain in a way to express her distress over the situation.

Jack ran a soothing hand along the bedroom wall, "I know there's not much we can do to help either one of them."

Sticking his hand in the pockets of his outer jacket Jack retrieved items so as not to lose them when switch clothes. He dumped the contents before shedding out of his wet jacket and boots. Jack stared at the items: a small blast gun, a bit of physic paper, the package of Rose's; the package Jack imagined was one of the reasons that started this whole adventure: odds n ends and Rose's necklace. It still had goo from the junk the researcher had forced on her. Now there were bits of lint and other debris stuck to it. Rubbing away the grime, Jack could make out circular design and a small locket. The locket looked to be old and he wonder where Rose would have gotten such a antique, being from the Powell Estates.

Jack grinned at how the blonde would react when he gave it back to her. He could imagine how that scene would play. Rose would give him a big hug and the Doctor would look grumpy before setting the TARDIS for some place amazing to get Rose's attention once again. Jack wouldn't even mind, because he wanted things to be normal again.

The TARDIS gave a shudder and Jack ran back to the console room as that particular movement was normally when the ship took off. When he reached the chamber, Jack found no one around. The Doctor wasn't dancing around the time rotor like a madman; Rose wasn't sitting in the jump sit watching like the Captain had been expecting. Walking over Jack gave the console a caress, "I guess you didn't want to stick around there. Don't need to tempt the Doc doing something he would regret later."

The green lighting flickered once in answer and the TARDIS flew in the vortex without any destination locked in.

Jack grinned, "Well, let's hope that no needs us for a little while."

* * *

The Doctor laid, staring at the ceiling, with Rose cuddled up into his chest. He knew that he needed to move, that it was going to be awkward when Rose woke. It was very peaceful and comforting, something the Doctor hadn't really felt since before the end of the war. There was a lot that needed to be explained; the Doctor closed his eyes. He really didn't know how or what made him lose it. He had formed the beginnings of a life bond with Rose: in many cultures it was tantamount to engagement or marriage. It was even more in the ancient times on Gallifrey. The emotional toll that such bonding took on both parties, especially when one died, was a very good reason that it had gone out with natural birthing.

Rose trembled and cried in her sleep; she projected out in an attempt to find protection. The Doctor's gaze flew wide with shock at the myriad of images that barraged his shielded mind. Most he was certain were from their travels, magnified and distorted. A few he didn't recognize and the rest weren't his companion's experiences at all. There were devastated planets, Daleks too many to count and the place he had called home burning. Involuntary, the Doctor's mind pulled away from the tormenting images that were already a constant in his thoughts. Rose pressed closer, digging her fingers into the Time Lord's exposed skin. The physical pain snapped the Doctor out of his own terrifying memories.

The Doctor drew Rose closer. He placed his forehead to hers and held her head in place with hands on either side. He easily slipped into Rose's mind for her natural shields, though weak as a human, were non-existence in sleep. Her mind was disorder but he was able to trace back through Rose's dreams to find what had started the bout of nightmares. The Doctor already knew where his companion had gotten the most disturbing images of his own nightmares. The bond was stronger than he thought it would be considering Rose was human, but even that shouldn't have been enough to pull such images from where he had buried them in his mind. After a moment, the Doctor found the source of Rose original distress. It was just as he assumed: the glaring white walls of the researchers lab, the abject pain and humiliation where he played a central character in, flooded over the Doctor.

The Doctor knew that dreams and nightmares distorted facts, but that Rose's mind seemed to have him as one of her tormentors disturbed him greatly. Could he have aggravated Rose's fear by his inadvertent physic bond? In a quick decision, the Doctor maneuvered around in his blonde companions mind. When he found everything that would trigger another bout of nightmares the Time Lord meticulously built a heavy door with a steel wall to bar it from causing his Rose any further anguish.

The Doctor forced himself to separate from Rose's mind. He blinked open ice blue eyes, watching and waiting to see if she would waken. As she slept on he stroked a fingertip down her now cooler cheek. the fever of before long past. The Doctor felt something wet sliding down his cheek: tears that he hadn't shed after Gallifrey's demise slid uncontrollably down and clutched onto his sleeping lover. All explanations were no longer needed. She wouldn't remember anything and once again he was condemned to silence. The golden spark that had been Rose he pushed out of his mind.

**The epilogue is next.**


	7. Chapter 7

Note: Note that this story is after "Boom Town" and the book "Stealers of Dreams".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Author note: I just want to thank everyone that marked the story an alert, or follower and of course those people who took the time to review. Please read the notes at the end of this chapter.

Chapter Seven:

Jack wander around the TARDIS for a long time before he got tired, finally deciding to return to the console room. The space and time ship's constant hum reassured the ex-time agent that they were still in the time vortex.

Jack went and sat in the jump seat once again trying to blank his mind of the events on Sarkios. He really needed a drink but he wouldn't indulge until after he found out if Rose would be all right. Jack was surprised out of his musing by the sound of the Doctor approaching.

At the entry the Doctor paused briefly at the sight of Jack. He continued on to the console not looking at Jack in favor of setting coordinates.

"Hey, Doctor. Is Rose going to be okay?" Jack could tell by the Doctor's expression that he hadn't found a cure.

"Okay," the Doctor snorted. "No, Jack she won't be okay. Will she live, yes."

Jack didn't say anything for awhile. "Doctor, what you had to do Rose won't hold it against you."

"That's just it, Jack. She's not goin' to remember any of it."

"What?"

The Doctor's posture was rigid with controlled fury. "Jack, those. . .researchers took something that was supposed to be a beautiful thing and turned it into a nightmare. Rose was violated enough but they didn't leave it at that. They made me a part of their atrocities. I wasn't going leave her with those memories. . .let alone mine." The last was said so quietly that Jack hadn't heard.

"She stronger than you think."

"Jack it isn't about how strong she is." The Doctor sighed turning to Jack, finally making eye contact: blue eyes blazed back at blue. "Time Lords are not humans."

It was cryptic as usual but Jack thought he understood some. If it was upsetting the Doctor so much, it was probably not good. Jack didn't want to think that the Doctor might have inadvertently hurt Rose. The alien would have taken a blow to the body before letting anyone hurt Rose. It would tear him up knowing that he was the cause of her suffering.

"All right, Doc," Jack acquiesced to what had already been done. "I'm going to check up on Rose."

The Doctor lifted a section of grating, "Rose is back in her room."

Jack watched a moment as the Time Lord immersed himself in doing maintenance on his beloved ship. He knew at that moment the one who was suffering was the Doctor.

* * *

Jack opened the door to Rose's room. It was a window into Rose: a bit chaotic and nostalgic. Her clothes were strewn about and on every smooth surface were mementoes from the various planets and times she'd been to. Her vanity mirror was covered with pictures: some of her mum and friends back on earth, but most of her with the Doctor, who look grumpy about it. There were a few with all three of them.

Sighing, Jack walked quietly over to where Rose lay. No matter how interested he would have once been to see Rose laying naked under her bedding, now he felt like he was intruding. Jack was surprised when he reached her to find that the Doctor had gotten Rose into her PJ's. He had to grin at the idea of the superior Time Lord trying to get a sleepy Rose into clothes.

The peaceful look on Rose's face stemmed any lingering anger Jack was feeling towards the Doctor. The Captain still felt that the Doctor should have given Rose a choice, but really what choice did either of them have in any of what had happened? Jack brushed a stray lock of blonde hair back into place.

"Well, Rose, you may not remember anything, but I'm sure you're going to want this." Jack placed the bag of her purchases on the end table next to her bed. He backed away, needing to get out of Rose's presence so he could get himself back into a frame of mind to be able to lie to Rose. It was an art he had been trying to lose with his friends. A little bubble of anger sprang back up, all directed at the Doctor. "This is going to harder than I thought."

* * *

Rose woke from a deep sleep; her head hurt and her mouth was dry. She wondered vaguely if she had a hangover but couldn't remember even going out with Shireen, Mickey or one of her other friends from the Powell Estates. Then Rose recalled she'd been on a planet with the Doctor and Jack; there had been a festival but she could only remember the marketplace, the rest went blank after she left a stall.

The blonde sat up and was glad to see that she was in her own room and not the med bay. Obviously she must have done, or been exposed to, something which would explain her lack of memory. She spotted her bag of presents and was relieved that they hadn't gotten lost along with her mind.

The need for the loo drove Rose into the bathroom. As she washed her hands she didn't notice a new scar which hadn't been there before. What she noticed when she looked in the mirror was the absence of the locket that her mother had given her on behalf of her long dead father. In a panic she raced out of her room looking for either the Doctor or Jack.

"Doctor? Jack?" Rose continued shouting as she ran down the corridor towards the main chamber of the time and space ship. The Doctor and Jack were there to greet her when she entered: both looked scared. Rose had to wonder what had happened, but at that moment she was more worried about her lost necklace.

"What? Are you alright?" Jack asked worried. The Doctor stood close by but didn't approach further in case the block he'd put in Rose's mind hadn't been strong enough; he didn't know how it wouldn't be, but Rose had a tendency for doing impossible things.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, but my locket is missing," Rose cried out in alarm.

The Doctor sagged in relief and then rolled his eyes. "All that shouting and you just lost a locket."

"Oi, that locket was from my Dad. It was the last thing he gave me." Rose bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.

Jack winced now thinking his joke wasn't going the way he'd hoped. "That wouldn't happen to be this?" He dangled the fixed chain with a gold locket swinging on the end.

"My locket." Rose snatched it out of Jack's hand. "Where did you find it?"

Jack's blue eyes slide to the Doctor, giving him a look that suggested that the question went into a touchy area.

"I'm sure Jack must have just picked it up and fixed it by the looks." He barely missed having to provide a more complicated explanation.

"Anyway I was thinking we should check up on Margaret," the Doctor said, turning back to the time rotor, not wanting to let the room fill with the uneasy tension that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Rose looked after the Doctor trying not to be a little disappointed: for what she didn't know. "Sure, I'll just go change and get a bit to eat before we land on Raxacoriofallapatorius. Oh, and thanks, Jack." Rose kissed his cheek on the way back down the corridor towards her room.

The Doctor had to reign back a growl of possessiveness that surged unbidden through him at the sight of Rose giving the ex-time agent a bit of friendly affection. The Time Lord had to remind himself that he and Rose were only friends, nothing more. He had helped relieve a problem she'd had for which she possessed no memory of.

Jack could sense the turmoil in the alien man. "This is going to be harder than you think to keep her in the dark about Sarkios."

The Doctor glared at the Captain. "Jack, the only way Rose will remember is if I lift the block I placed in her mind. I'm certain that isn't something I'll be doing anytime soon." He turned away from the other man, ending the conversation.

Jack shook his head in defeat. The Doctor was stubborn; it would take a better person than him to change the Time Lord's mind once it was made up. Well there was one person, but she didn't even know that a decision had even been made. 'Well, I'll just have to sit back watch and hope for the best.'

The end

Note: The sequel is on it's way the name is _Return to Satellite 5_.

Note 2: For those who want to know about the jewelry that Rose picked up on Sarkios unfortunately you will have to wait for the third installment _A Christmas Tangle_.


End file.
